Safety handball



April 14, E WOLFE SAFETY HAND BALL Filed June 27, 1929 e n m aw #Y 65 Patented Apr. 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATE V EVERETT K. WOLFE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY HANDBALL Application filed June 27,

This invention relates to hand balls of the type ordinarily used by children in tossing from one to another, hand batting and other light games which may be safely played and need no heavy solid ball.

These light balls are made of rubber molded into spherical shape with walls of substantially uniform thickness so that when rolling on the ground they will travel in a straight course unless impeded by obstacles.

This fact while in a measure is desirable, often leads to over exertion on part of the players and not infrequently to danger, as the mind of a child, intent upon recovering a la rolling ball, is unlikely to be keenly alert to the perils of passing vehicles and like traffic hazards.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hand ball, conventional 2c in appearance, resilient in action, possessing all the functions of an ordinary hollow ball and in addition having means to retard it from rolling any considerable distance.

A further feature is in the provision of a spherical ball having a single flattened spot in its surface, and means interiorly of the sphere to cause the ball to come to a stop upon the spot when rolling upon a substantially level surface.

These advantageous objects, whereby a measure of safety is attained, are accomplished by the novel construction and disposition of parts as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, constituting a material component of this disclosure, and in which Figure 1 is a central transverse sectional view of an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing a modifled form of the same.

Rubber balls of the type indicated are almost invariably molded in two like hemispherical sections joined at their meeting edges by vulcanization processes.

In the present embodiments the wall of each half sphere are denoted by the characters 55, their junction being indicated at 6.

The walls, as shown in Figure 1, are of 5G uniform thickness throughout, the thickness 1929. amino. 374,008.

being determined by the manufactureflsexperience.

A partition 7-7 is molded integrally to the inner surfaces of the walls to occupy a position ofl'set preferably from the center as indicated, forming main and minor compartments respectively 8 and 9.

In a plane parallel with the partition and central therewith, the surface of the ball is flattened, as at 10, the diameter of the flattened portion being approximately one fourth the diameter of the sphere, and if preferred, the wall of the flattened portion may be somewhat thicker than the main walls.

Disposed in the lesser compartment 9 is a weight 11, generally a flattened oval, as shown, thereby tending to produce a preponderance of weight over the flat 10, causing the ball to rest by gravity thereon, effectually preventing it from rolling over a level snrace.

In the modification shown in Figure 2, the semi-spherical walls 15-45 are vulcanized at 16 and the partition 17-17 is provided with a series of small openings 22 to equalize the air pressure in the compartments 18-19.

No weight is used but the same results are attained by materially thickening the walls of the lesser compartment, as at 2323, and at the flat 20, whereby the effect of gravity is obtained.

While certain preferred embodiments of this device have been shown and described, it will be understood that changes in the form, arrangements, proportions, sizes and details thereof may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as de lined in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A hollow hand ball composed of soft elastic rubber and having at least one flat spot in its otherwise spherical surface, an integral partition in the ball offset from its center adjacently parallel to said flat spot, and a loose ovoidal weight in the interior of the ball intermediate said partition and fiat spot to cause a preponderance of weight adjacent said flat spot.

- side adjacent the small compartment, and a 2. A hollow rubber hand ball containing a partition offset from the center to form compartments of unlike area, means for Weighting the lesser compartment, and a flat spot in the spherical surface of the ball, said spot being parallel to the partition and on the side adjacent the lesser compartment, said partition havingaplurality of apertures permitting the passage of air Within saidconipartments due to movements of the partition.

3. In a hollow spherical rubber hand ball, a resilient partition offset from the center to form relatively large and small compartments, a flat spot on the spherical surface of the ball, parallel to saidpartition, on the free weight Within said small compartment for impinging against said partitionduring rolling of the ball and rebounding under the resiliency of the partition to strike the rear of the fiat spot to;quickly bring the ball to rest thereon. V

\ In testimnoy whereof I affix my signature.

EVER-E'IYIHK. WOLFE. 

